Snap-hook.



. G; E. KELLY.

. 11. 1,093,630. Patented Apr.21,1914.

4 m. .I l

CROSBY E. KELLY, OF GRIFFIN CORNERS, NEW YORK.

SNAP-HOOK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 21, 1914.

AppIication filed November 24, 1911. Serial No. 662,081.

To all whom a may concern Be it known that I, CROSBY E. KELLY, a citizenof the United States, and a resident of Griffin Corners, in the countyof Delaware and State of New York, have invented a new and ImprovedSnap-Hook, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

My invention relates to snap hooks of the kind shown and described in myco-pending application for a patent on a safety hook, Serial No.646,610, filed August 29, 1911; and it comprises certain improvementsover the form of hook shown and described in my co-pending applicationaforesaid.

In the invention set forth in my abovementioned co-pending application Iemploy a hook having a longitudinally-movable catch held by a spring inclosed position, the catch being encircled by the spring, which fits ina groove therein and has its ends projecting outward from the body ofthe hook in position to be grasped by the fingers, to move the catchinto and out of locking position.

WVith my present invention I provide the catch with guiding means tocontrol the same when it is moved into and out of looking position, andI secure the spring in fixed relation to the catch, so as to make thehook more easily operable.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part ofthis specification, in which the same characters of reference indicatethe same parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of my improved snap or safety hook;Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the upper part thereof, with the catch inclosed position; Fig. 3 is a similar view with the catch in openposition; Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional View on the line 44: of Fig.1; and Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the catch with the spring securedthereto.

On the drawings the numeral 1 indicates the body of my improved snaphook, which has a bent portion2at one end and an eye 3 at the other, toenable the hook to be secured to a harness strap, rope or the like. Thebody of the hook 1 has a longitudinal bore 4 formed therein, and in thebottom of this bore is placed a spiral spring 5.

6 is a catch in the form of a plunger having a flat end which engagesthe fiat end of the part 2; and normally the spring 5 will force thecatch outward to close the bent portion 2. The catch 6 has a lug 7projecting from one side, and this lug slides in a groove or slot 8formed in the side of the body 1. The slot has recesses 9 in itsopposite sides near the upper end thereof, to be engaged by the ends ofa spring 10. This spring 10 is carried by the shank of the catch 6,fitting into a circumferential groove in the catch; and when the catch 6is in position to close the hook, the ends of the spring 10 will beopposite the recesses 9, to enter the same and lock the catch in closedposition. I prefer to secure the spring tothe catch 6, so as to preventthe spring from rotating around the catch'in the groove in which it isplaced. I may rivet the spring to the catch, but I prefer to hammer orup set the outer edges of the groove in which the spring 10 is placed,over the edges of the spring at the back thereof, as shown at 13 in Fig.5. The outer ends of the spring are bent outward, as shown at 11 and 12,and turned over. These ends are normally sprung apart so that they willenter the recesses 9 when released, and hold the catch in lockingposition; and when it is desired to open the hook, the ends 11 and 12 ofthe spring 10 are pressed together to withdraw them from the recesses 9and allow the two arms of the spring to be moved down in the slot 8,until the catch 6 comes to the position shown in Fig. 3.

I preferably form an opening in the bottom of the bore 4:, as shown at14' in Fig. 1, this opening communicating with the eye 3, so that if anymoisture or dirt should be trapped in the bore it will fall out throughthe opening.

From the above description it will be seen that the shank 6 will bepositively guided when moved in either direction, and that the spring 10is secured in rigid relation to the catch 6, both as regards move mentaround the shank and longitudinally thereof. This spring will always beheld in proper position to move easily into and out of the recesses 9.When the ends of the spring 10 are in the recesses 9, the shank islocked in position to close the bent end 2, and it can be readilyreleased therefrom to open the bent portion 2, merely by pressing theprojecting ends of the spring 10 together. With the shank 6 positivelyheld against rotation by the lug 7 and the spring 10 positively heldagainst rotation around the shank 6, by hammering down the edges of thegroove at 18, the shank can always be released when the ends 11 and 12of the spring are pressed together with the fingers of one hand. If thespring 10 were loose, so that it. could slip around the shank 6, itwould often happen that when the ends 11 are caught by the fingers tomove the shank to open the hook portion 2, only one of the ends of thespring 10 would be moved out of its recess when these ends are pressedtogether, and it would be necessary to manipulate the spring so as tobring the pressedtogether ends 11 and 12 into central position withrespect to the groove 8, before the shank 6 would be moved at all. Bysecuring the spring rigidly to the shank 6, and providing guiding meanson the shank to engage the slot 8, I avoid this objectionable mode ofoperation, and provide a construction in which the shank 6 can be movedaway from the hook portion 2 with the greatest ease at any time when it1s desired to release the hook from the member with which it is inengagement.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent:

1. In a fastening device, the combination of a body having a hook-shapedend, a slidable locking member carried by said body to engage said end,resilient means carried by said locking member and secured thereto to beheld against bodily movement with respect to said locking member, saidresilient means having projecting portions which are normally sprungapart, and means carried by said body to be engaged by the projectingportions of said resilient means to hold said slidable locking member inengaging position.

2. A fastening device comprising a body portion having a bore therein, alocking member mounted in said bore, said body having a slot thereinextending longitudinally of said bore and forming an opening leadingfrom the outside of the body to the inside of-the bore, and resilientmeans carried by said member and rigidly secured ,theretoto prevent thesaid resilient means from moving bodily with respect to said member,said resilient means having projeoting portions which extend throughsaid slot and are normally sprung apart, said slot havingoppositely-located recesses in its the projecting portions of t km m mer i circling said catch, rigidly secured thereto, said body having aslot therein adjacent one end of the bore to receive the arms of saidspring, said slot having oppositely-located recesses in its sides toreceive the arms of the spring and lock the catch in position to closethe bent portion, the ends of said spring when pressed toward each otherbeing withdrawn from the recesses in the sides of the slot to permit thecatch to mo ve down into the bore of the body to open the bent portion.

4. An improved safety hook comprising a body having a hook or bentportion at one end thereof and having a bore therein in line with theextremity of the bent portion, a catch fitting in said bore, a guidinglug carried by said catch and fitting into a slot in the side of thebody portion, to hold said catch against rotation in the bore, and aU-shaped spring bent around the body of the catch and rigidly securedthereto, the ends of said U-shaped spring passing outward through theslot, said slot having recesses in its opposite sides to receive theends of the spring and lock the catch in closed position.

5. In a fastening device, the combination of a body having a hook-shapedend, a locking member movably carried by said body to engage said end,resilient means carried by said locking member and rigidly secured tothe same to prevent bodily movement of said resilient means with respectto the said memher, said resilient means having projecting portionswhich are normally sprung apart, means carried by said body to beengaged by said projecting portions to hold said locking member inengaging position, and guiding means carried by the fastening device tocontrol the movement of the locking member with respect to the body.

6. A fastening device comprising a body carrying a hook member, saidbody having a longitudinal bore therein, said body havmg a slot in oneof its sides, with a pair of notches formed. in the opposite edges ofsaid slot, a locking bar received in said bore, said bar having acircumferential groove, and a spring consisting of a strip of metal.bent around said bar and fitting in said groove and having its outerends bent away from each other and passing through said slot, saidoutwardly-bent. ends tending to move away from each other to engagethenotches and hold the bar against accidental displacement from the hookmember, whereby said locking bar can be released only by pressing both"the; outwa rdly bent ends of the spring 'atthef'same time toward teachother 7 lnja fastening device, the jeombina ion oratass-arb ay. ing'11a'0kaemba d having lo'iigitudinalbore formed therein,

' ing bar received-"in" said bore, "and spring 30 means encircling saidbar and secured thereto, so as to be held against movementlongitudinally of said bar, and having its ends projecting through theslot in the side of said body, said slot having notches formed in itsopposite edges and the ends of said spring means projecting through saidslot, to engage said notches and hold the bar in locking position withrespect to the hook member, the ends of said spring means, when pressedtogether, being disengaged from the notches to permit the bar to bemoved out of locking position.

, 8. In a fastening device, the combination of a base or body carrying ahook member, a locking bar slidably carried by said body to engage theend of said hook member, spring means encircling said bar and securedthereto so as to be held against movement longitudinally of said bar,and having its ends normally sprung apart, and means car ried by saidbody to be engaged by the ends of said spring means to hold the bar incontact with the hook member and close the fastening device, said springmeans being disengageable to move the bar away from the hook member bypressing the ends thereof together.

9. In a fastening device, the combination of a base or body having ahook member and having a longitudinal bore formed therein, said borehaving a slot in one side, a locking bar received in said bore, andspring means encircling said bar and engaging the same, and having itsends projecting through the slot in the side of said body, said slothaving notches formed in its opposite edges and the ends of said springmeans projecting through said slot, to engage said notches and hold thebar in locking position with respect to the hook member, the ends ofsaid spring means, when pressed together, being disengaged from thenotches to permit the bar to be moved out of locking position.

10. In a fastening device, the combination of a base or body carrying ahook member, a locking bar slidably carried by said body to engage theend of said hook member, spring means encircling said bar and having itsends normally sprung apart, and means carried by said body to be engagedby the ends of said spring means to hold the bar in contact with thehook member and close the fastening device, said spring means beingdisengageable to move the bar away from the hook member by pressing theends thereof together.

11. In a fastening device, the combination of a body, a locking member,slidably carried by said body, resilient means encircling said lockingmember and having projecting portions which are normally sprung apart,

and means formed upon said body to be engaged by the projecting portionsof said resilient means to hold said locking member in looking position.

12. In a fastening device, the combination of a body, a locking memberslidably carried by said body, resilient means encircling said lockingmember and having projecting portions which are normally sprung apart,said member being shaped to engage said resilient means so as to preventmovement along said member, and means formed upon said body to beengaged by the projecting portions of said resilient means to hold saidlocking member in looking position.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

CROSBY E. KELLY.

Witnesses:

FRANK HANNAY, GEO. A. SPEENBURGH.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). 0.

